


New World

by wolfiefics



Category: Alexander Trilogy - Mary Renault, Alexander the Great (2003) RPF
Genre: He's going to be put to good use by the god Amun, Hephaistion kicks the bucket but don't worry, M/M, sequel to The God Spoke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 02:54:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17675078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfiefics/pseuds/wolfiefics
Summary: Hephaistion dies. But don't worry, Amun is not through with him.





	New World

**Author's Note:**

> Written about 6 months to a year after The God Spoke. I'd been rereading some fics and this sequel came to me. You do kinda need to read The God Spoke to get this one. Sorry. Again, originally published under the defunct penname Bagoas Alexandros.

Fate was a tricky mistress, Hephaestion was discovering. Battles, nature, his king's wrath and continued mental instability, enemies both internal and external had all attempted to remove Hephaestion from this world. Yet he persevered, firm in his loyalty and his faith in Alexander. The great god Amun had told him to be so. No matter how difficult, no matter how seemingly impossible, Hephaestion had always managed to do what was required of him. Dying so soon, so young, however, had not been on his list of things to do.

Ecbatana had never been Hephaestion's favorite place in Persia. He'd hated the city and now had more reason to do so. He was sick, he was dying and he was not happy about it. He could feel life leeching from his body, dripping away as if he were water in a clock. No amount of struggle on his or anyone else's part seemed to make any difference. Finally, Hephaestion surrendered himself to his destiny, hoping the gods knew what they were doing.

Alexander begged, threatened, conjoled, cried, and made light of the situation until Hephaestion rallied himself enough to fool his king into believing he was recovering. Hephaestion knew better, but honestly, Alexander was getting a bit pitiful and it was wearing on Hephaestion's low store of nerves. He insisted Alexander attend the games, lying through his teeth when he promised Alexander he would be alright when the king returned from the celebrations.

_**My son, it is time.** _

'Not yet,' begged Hephaestion to the voice in his mind. For days now, it had been speaking to him, telling him that his purpose was finished. 'Alexander still needs me.'

_**No, my son, he does not. He will not.** _

Alarmed at that pronouncement, Hephaestion struggled to sit up, as if such a movement would persuade the god to change his mind. "Please," Hephaestion whimpered.

"My lord?" A young servant hesitantly hovered near his bed and Hephaestion waved him off. 

"Fetch me a drink, would you?" he asked hoarsely. The servant ran off to do as he was bid, relieved to leave the sickroom.

_**Your purpose has been fulfilled. I require you elsewhere now.** _

'I am not finished here!' Hephaestion protested ferverently. 'You told me I was to be Alexander's builder, we would build a new world! We aren't finished!'

_**You have laid important foundations, more important than you know. That is enough. That is all I needed.** _

"But..." Hephaestion coughed weakly and reverted to speaking in his mind. 'But Alexander still lives.'

_**For now.** _

'For now?'

_**His purpose too has been served. His will and strength is needed by his father elsewhere, as I need you. Come.** _

'No! Not without Alexander.'

_**He will be here soon enough. Come.** _

"I--"

"My lord!" A crashing sound came to Hephaestion's ears as if from a distance. He tried to raise his head and then his hand to reassure the servant, but could not. The boy had already rushed from the room, shouting for assistance. In his last lucid moment, Hephaestion heard the cry go out around the palace for someone to fetch King Alexander.

***

"NO!" The anguished shout reverberated in Hephaestion's mind, throughout his soul, coursing through his veins like blood. It was the only thing he could feel, that shout.

"You will not leave me, damn you!" Again was the anguish, yet Hephaestion only felt contentment. It was odd, this reaction, but Hephaestion knew it was right.

"Hephaestion, damn you, come back to me!"

'You'll come to me first, my love,' Hephaestion thought dreamily as he felt something tug at his consciousness. He looked up into a light so bright it would have blinded him had he a physical body.

_**Most insistent, this Alexander.** _

'You should see him when he's amorous.' laughed Hephaestion. He sobered. 'You promise me that Alexander will be here soon?'

_**I do. He will. You will see. And he knows. Has known. It is fear of death that causes him to abuse your body so now.** _

A room, very familiar, flashed into view. How Hephaestion saw or comprehended with nothing but his consciousness as the god's companion, the lately deceased did not know. His entire focus was on the gilt-haired man currently pounding frantically on Hephaestion's now still chest, sobbing and shouting incoherently. For a moment panic and sorrow lanced through Hephaestion but the god calmed him.

_**It is natural to fear the next path. See only the shell. You are the true form.** _

Hephaestion felt himself calmed immediately and instead watched Alexander and those crowded worriedly around him with a mildly interested air. Now that he had the god's assurance that Alexander would not be far behind him, Hephaestion could see everything with a less-biased point of view. 

'I looked rather bad, didn't I?'

The god snorted. _**You looked horrible. I thought it better to take you now than when you'd be more disturbed at how you would have looked later.**_

'What was wrong with me?'

_**Death.** _

'Besides that.'

_**That is all that is needed to be known. How your shell died is unimportant. Only that it fulfilled it's responsibility as a home of your true form is important. Come. We have much to do before your Alexander arrives to distract you for a time. Then you both have much work to do.** _

'Like what kind of work?'

_**More building of new worlds.** _

'Very well.'

Hephaestion took one last regretful look at the scene laid out in front of him before dismissing it completely from his mind. He had work to do, then he had to make sure Alexander found him, then there was more work to do.

'You promise?'

_**You know, I usually send people to the Eater of Souls for as many impertinent questions as you have asked. It is a good thing I like you.** _

'Being quiet now.'

_**Excellent strategy, for a builder.** _

'What kind of world are we building?'

_**One where those who need it can find refuge. A war for souls, for life, and for minds are coming, a war that we Old Ones cannot stop. We need to protect those whom we are bound to protect.** _

'And the rest?'

_**Must fend for themselves.** _

Hephaestion understood. It was indeed a whole new world.


End file.
